It is a common occurrence for flashlights to not be ready in an emergency. This is typically due to either drained batteries, or batteries that have corroded and/or leaked their contents resulting in damage to the flashlight.
At present, most batteries are designed to retain an electrical charge in storage for 7 to 10 years. However, when batteries are placed in a flashlight, their connection with the electrical components in the flashlight typically causes a slow drain of electrical charge from the batteries. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as “parasitic battery drain.” Consequently, when the flashlight is needed such as during a storm or other event which causes an electrical or power outage, the flashlight is dim or inoperable.
One could leave the batteries out of the flashlight to preserve their charge. However, it is often difficult to install batteries in a flashlight so that the batteries are arranged in their proper orientation in the flashlight particularly when the environment is dark such as during a power outage.
Another problem and potentially even more significant, is when batteries leak corrosive agents within the flashlight. The resulting damage typically destroys the flashlight or renders the flashlight permanently unusable. Although such leakage can occur independently of parasitic battery drain, in many instances the resulting corrosion of electrical components can be increased due to the battery drain.
Accordingly, a need exists for a strategy for avoiding or at least significantly reducing the potential for parasitic battery drain in devices. And, a need exists for such devices and in particular, flashlights which avoid or which are less susceptible to parasitic battery drain.